Torino 2006

In 2006 the Olympic Winter Games returned to Italy, 50 years after Cortina D' Ampezzo. Torino and the surrounding mountain resorts of Sestriere and Bardonecchia hosted a remarkable Games.

Key Facts

Opening date:

10 February 2006

Closing date:

26 February 2006

Host nation:

Italy (ITA)

Cauldron lit by:

Stefania Belmondo

Number of nations:

80

Number of athletes:

2,600

Number of sports:

7

Number of events:

84

Medal Tally

Nations

1

Germany

11

12

6

2

United States

9

9

7

3

Austria

9

7

7

4

Russian Federation

8

6

8

5

Canada

7

10

7

17

Australia

1

0

1

Note: Medal tally as at end of Games

Both ceremonies were captivating and the medal plaza and piazzas throughout the city were full of colour and excitement.

Cross country skier Stefania Belmondo lit the flame and alpine hero Giorgio Rocca gave the Athletes' Oath. Read more >>>

Australia at the Games

Australia sent its largest ever team of 40 athletes qualified across 10 sports. The team produced many sensational performances including a gold to Dale Begg-Smith in the moguls and a bronze to Alisa Camplin in aerials.

Begg-Smith was the world number one coming into Torino and produced his very best when it mattered most. He qualified in top spot and as the last skier down the course he blazed the moguls and took the gold from Finland’s Mikko Ronkainen. His speed and form on the turns were superior to the rest of the world.

Camplin’s bronze in the aerials was a remarkable testament to the enormous competitive abilities which also brought her gold in Salt Lake City four years earlier. Just to be at the Games four months after her knee reconstruction was as an amazing effort, but to win a medal was simply stunning.

There were a number of other outstanding performances that built the growing reputation of Australia as a competitive winter sports nation.

Torah Bright’s fifth in snowboard halfpipe, Damon Hayler’s seventh in snowboard cross, the sixth placing of the short track relay team and the eighth of Jacqui Cooper in women’s aerials were all brilliant. Cooper’s extraordinary world record in aerials qualifying cemented her amongst the world’s best ever.

The number of team members who recorded top 16 finishes was also high. Astrid Loch-Wilkinson and Kylie Reed, Australia’s first Olympic women’s bobsleigh representatives did an outstanding job to finish 14th. Nick Fisher (12th in freestyle moguls), Manuela Berchtold (14th in freestyle moguls), Emanuel Oppliger (15th in snowboard PGS), Michelle Steele (13th in skeleton) and Emily Rosemond (12th in 1000m short track), all demonstrated the growing depth of our team’s performances across a range of sports.

As with any team there are disappointments. However, the devastating injury to aerial skier Lydia Lassila (then Ierodiaconou) in qualifying rocked the team. She was a strong medal hope and was jumping superbly. Her battle to get to the Games was well known having undergone an allograft knee reconstruction just eight months out from the Games. She looked a certainty to qualify for the final until her knee gave way on her second jump. It was a horrific injury and devastating for her yet she came out the next night to cheer on her fellow athletes and vowed to be in Vancouver in 2010.

There were many records at the Games. The 2,508 athletes from 80 nations was the most ever, as was the number of events, 84. The fact that 26 countries took home medals was also a first.

Germany topped the medal tally with 11 gold, 12 silver and six bronze. Norway dropped from the top nation in 2002 to win just 2 gold and be 13th.

The Austrian team attracted plenty of attention. Ten of their cross country and biathlon athletes were tested in swooping drug raids with some athletes and a previously banned coach fleeing Italy. All tests came back negative. Positively though their athletes dominated alpine skiing, gaining 14 of the 30 medals awarded.

South Korea displayed success in short-track speed skating, gaining 10 medals of the 24 awarded. In the women’s, Sun-Yu Jin earned three gold medals, and in the men's, Hyun-Soo Ahn won three golds and one bronze. Another triple-gold winner was Germany's Michael Greis in biathlon.

Cindy Klassen earned medals in five of the six women’s speed skating events. Another speed skater, Claudia Peschstein, won a gold and a silver to become the first athlete in her sport to earn nine career medals. American Shani Davis became the first African American athlete to win an individual winter gold medal when he won the 1,000m speed skating.

With his victory in the Super G, Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt became the first alpine skier to earn four medals in the same event and the first to win four gold medals in total.

At the age of 39, skeleton specialist Duff Gibson became the oldest athlete in the history of the Olympic Winter Games to win a gold medal in an individual event. German bobsledder Andre Lange drove to victory in the two-man bobsleigh and then defended his Olympic championship in the four-man event.

Thanks to our sponsors

Did you know?

Australia continued its medal winning streak at the Winter Games with three athletes reaching the podium at Sochi 2014 - David Morris (Silver, Aerials), Torah Bright (Silver, Halfpipe) and Lydia Lassila (Bronze, Aerials).

The AOC is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation, committed to the development of youth and sport. It is our responsibility to select, send and fund Australian Teams to the Olympic Games.

This is achieved by the support of our sponsors, contributions from the Australian Olympic Foundation (AOF), fundraising at corporate events and the backing of State and Territory Governments who donate to our Olympic Team Appeal.

The Australian Olympic Committee thanks all of our partners for their generous support of the Olympic athletes.